NORTH CHATHAM – Dr. Thomas Aiguier Doe, 93, of North Chatham, formerly of West Springfield, MA, passed away on Friday, September 25, 2015 after a lengthy illness.
The son of William and Minnie Doe, he was born in Linden, NJ, March 31, 1922. He knew by age twelve that he wanted to become a doctor and pursued his dream at Bates College (1943) where he met his wife, Harriett E. Gray. They married in 1944 and lived in New Haven, CT, where he attended Yale Medical School (1946) under the Army Medical School Training Program. He completed his residency at New Haven Hospital before beginning active duty in June 1948. A Captain in the Army Medical Corps, he served as Chief of Pediatrics, Gorgas Hospital, Panama Canal Zone.
He began his private practice in Springfield, MA, and settled in West Springfield, where he was a member of the First Congregational Church. He was a staff member of the Springfield Hospital (now BayState Medical Center), Mercy Hospital, Springfield, MA, and Providence Hospital, Holyoke, MA. He was appointed Chief of Pediatrics of Springfield Hospital in 1962 and started their pediatric cardiology practice in the late 1960s. He left his private practice in 1978 to become the first pediatrician at Medical West, Chicopee, MA. Considered by his peers to be the Dean of local pediatrics, he was known for his quiet dignity. His calmness was always reassuring to his patients.
He loved to travel with his family to the national parks, and winter brought ski trips to the Blandford Ski Area and Jackson, NH. His family began vacationing in Chatham during the 1950s and they built a summer home in West Chatham in 1969. He and his wife Harriett retired to the house in 1987. He rekindled his love for music joining the Mid-Cape Chorus, and the choir and bell choir at the First Congregational Church of Chatham. Widowed in 1996, he later met Judith Hamilton and they married in 1999. They spent happy years traveling and taking part in many Cape activities.
He was predeceased by his first wife Harriett and his sister and brother-in-law Nancy and James Horsfield. He is survived by his wife Judy, his children and their families: David and Peggy Doe of Westfield, MA; their daughters Kathleen and Megan; Allan Doe and Lenore Grubinger, of Northampton, MA; their children Michaela and Sam; Deborah and David Schindel of Rio Rancho, NM, their sons Michael, and Alex and his wife Kristen; Douglas and Susan Doe of Cranston, RI, their daughter Bridget Mackin; Prudence and Douglas Mattoon of West Springfield, MA; their children Michael, Laura Mitchell and her husband Michael, and their son Julian; two stepsons Robert and his wife Kirsten Fay of Katy, TX; and their daughter Kelsey; Stephen and Patty Fay of Avon, IN; and their daughters Miranda and Colleen.
A celebration of Tom’s life will be held at the First Baptist Church of Agawam, 760 Main St., Saturday October 10 at 11:00 am. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Baystate Children’s Hospital, 759 Chestnut Street, Springfield MA 01107, or to a charity of your choice.
